'Nikita' co-star hypes new episode

The CW's "Nikita" is riding a ratings high going into tonight's new episode, even as its characters are perhaps at an all-time low. Michael (Shane West) continues to take on a more behind-the-scenes role after the amputation of his hand, leading to the mysterious Owen (Devon Sawa) taking over his role as Nikita's partner in the field. IGN spoke with Sawa about what's to come for his character and what viewers can expect in tonight's new episode.

The transition from solo work to a partnership has been less than a smooth one for the former Division cleaner, but one that provides a unique dynamic for the characters to play with. "Owen’s out of his element. He’s always been a solo guy, so partnering is kind of new to him. The dynamic works well," Sawa said. "I mean, it would work better with Nikita and Michael, but he can’t be out there, of course, so Owen is filling in. Michael’s coaching him through it because it’s not his world - art galleries and all this stuff. But that’s where we’re at. Owen’s kind of Nikita’s sidekick."

He continued, "It’s tough for Michael to see Owen with his fiancée. If I put myself in Michael’s shoes, it’s got to be tough. But how I’ve been playing it up until this point is Owen isn’t really trying to go anywhere with Nikita in a romantic way."

This week's episode sees the duo taking down a former Division member who delves too deeply into his life before his clandestine career. "We’re after one of these Dirty Thirty guys who has broken the cardinal rule of Division, and that’s contacting your past. I guess because Division has gone down, he feels he can go after his past. So he goes after his girlfriend, and we want to stop him before the world finds out about Division. We want to get to him before the world does," Sawa explained.

The past is one of the more intriguing aspects of Owen's character, as much of it still remains a mystery. However, Sawa promises that more will be revealed about his character going forward this season. "I think I did episode four, and Craig was like, 'We want him to be more like Wolverine, more like that guy. That’s the past he has.' So that’s been my reference," the actor said. "I’ve been told [an upcoming episode]'s going to reveal some Owen stuff. There’s an episode coming up with Ari in two or three episodes, and he spills a little bit of stuff to Owen -- not enough to give him anything substantial, but enough to make him want to know more."